Christmas time family drama takes a new edge…
Creative Staff:
Story: Joelle Jones
Art: Joelle Jones
Colors: Michelle Madsen
What They Say:
Josie prepares to defend her family and home with the help of a new ally.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
My summer of reviewing killer queens continues with the long awaited 5th issue of Lady Killer 2. More importantly, Josie backstory! The issue opens with a flashback of a very young Josie questioning her lot in life to her cynical mama, who looks a lot like a down on her luck 20s/30s version of Audrey Horne from Twin Peaks. Her mama tactlessly points out she came from nothing, so Josie has the bad luck to come from nothing, and doubly bad luck being a girl. But the low moment sort of turns on its head when Josie’s mama points out by appearing to be nothing, it hides that deep down they are something: survivors. If any one scene probably best sums of the thesis of what Josie will be like as an adult, this is it. Using averageness and a sense of being “nothing special or standout” to hide that something, a survivor toeing a dangerous line as a contracted killer. And as the scene goes on we learn more of just how influential her mama was to how Josie would turn out: Josie’s mama poisons her husband for his life insurance.
In the present we continue with Irving’s attack, with Josie and Mama Schuller trying to live another day. Sending her mother-in-law somewhere else in the house to hide, it’s killer vs killer and and this time Josie doesn’t escape unscathed and neither does her mother-in-law. Thanks to some quick thinking and cooking sherry, Josie gains a temporary victory over Irving just enough to hide Mama Schuller before engaging in another brutal confrontation with Irving that ends This is a pretty violent scene, FYI, so if even comics violence hits you in terms of squeamishness then this fight scene might give you some squickiness.
But the drama escalates when Gene shows up, worried when he couldn’t get ahold of Josie, and now her secret life is revealed at last to her husband. It’s not instant understanding or acceptance, he does leave her with the girls and his boss’ wife in tow, leaving Josie behind with his mother. Just so there’s no doubt, Jones makes it extremely clear that this breaks Josie’s heart but she’s also got bigger fish to fry in the form of yet another ghost of assassin’s past.
In Summary:
This looks to be the last issue of Lady Killer 2, and man, what a ride! I’ve been waiting for the shoe to drop with Gene finally figuring out Josie’s work life, and given the tone of this series it’s no surprise he leaves. Maybe they’ll reunite in a third series? Who knows. But the ending is certainly a huge cliffhanger and Josie’s life is in a precarious place once more, but as the opening scene reiterates, she’s learned to be a survivor.
Overall, Lady Killer 2 spares no punches, no pun intended, and is a tightly woven sequel series with quick pacing and tells a simple, entertaining, violent story. Josie continued to be a fascinating character in this; brutal, methodical, cold, strong, loving, funny all in one complicated package. While a longer series would likely flesh her out more, what we get in this limited series is a well-written complicated female lead who isn’t just stone cold and has an emotional range. I’m really liking more of these stories of strong women told by women, it’s interesting and I hope Jones put out more work because her artwork is also top-notch.
Here’s to you, Josie Schuller, may we revisit your story again.
Grade: A
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: August 30th, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
